Opinion poll: Results skewed by heavy vote

I like to read the News-Leader, including the Opinion page, almost every day. I also check the opinion poll out of curiosity. A few weeks ago, I saw a poll with a question about gay rights with about 90 percent of the votes going one way. This piqued my interest and I noticed the number of people who voted - over 2,000. I dismissed the poll as tainted.

Then I saw the poll results Nov. 21, and this time I thought it needed to be pointed out. The question was: Same-sex couples legally married in another state are allowed to file joint federal tax returns. Should they be allowed to file joint state returns in Missouri? 92.5 percent answered yes, with 2,439 votes.

On a regular day, the opinion poll garners between 300 and 400 votes on average, give or take some. This poll had about 2,000 more votes than normal. Looks like some calls, some Facebook posts and tweets went out to skew the results.

Of course, you can include other factors, such as location. Had this poll been taken in San Francisco, I would not have put much thought into the numbers. However, this poll was taken in the Ozarks.

This issue is in the news because there is enough opposition to put it in the news. Had the percentage been split more evenly, I would have ventured to say both sides got the word out. However, in this case, taking all the numbers into consideration, it tells a different story.

This poll cannot be taken seriously in any form. The results are tainted and need to be immediately dismissed as such.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Opinion poll: Results skewed by heavy vote

Silka Moss Crane I like to read the News-Leader, including the Opinion page, almost every day. I also check the opinion poll out of curiosity.